Floridians' message on texting

Support for a ban while driving

Published: Friday, January 4, 2013 at 1:00 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, January 3, 2013 at 7:34 p.m.

How dangerous is it to drive in Florida? Because of its lack of any limits whatsoever on driving while texting, a lot more dangerous than it should be.

Sending text messages while driving causes 25 percent of all accidents, according to the National Safety Council. It is six times more dangerous than driving while intoxicated, and 23 times more likely to cause a crash than driving without texting, according to studies cited by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Yet Florida is one of only five states that put no restrictions at all on drivers who text -- not even on novice drivers or school bus operators.

None of those other states -- Hawaii, Montana, South Carolina or South Dakota -- has anywhere near the population or number of visitors that Florida has.

And Hawaii hardly counts: While there is no statewide ban, all of its counties have laws governing distracted driving, including cellphone use.

Florida, on the other hand, forbids local governments from having their own distracted-driving laws.

But this might be the year that Florida injects some sanity into its wide-open and risk-filled invitation to text behind the wheel. Two Republican legislators from Sarasota County -- Sen. Nancy Detert and Rep. Doug Holder -- are sponsoring bills to ban texting while driving.

They have failed before with similar bills, when legislative leaders -- who saw any limits as an affront to personal freedom -- prevented passage. Those opponents have left office, improving the new bills' chances.

Unfortunately, while any restrictions on drivers' texting would be better than none, the bills don't go far enough. Detert's and Holder's proposals would only allow secondary enforcement, meaning that drivers could only be cited for texting if they're charged with some other violation.

Of the 39 states that ban text messaging for all drivers, all but four have primary enforcement. Primary enforcement would appear to be much more effective at curbing the practice and thus improving safety.

We urge Detert and Holder to consider strengthening their bills to include primary enforcement. They've waited this long to have a chance of enacting this vital legislation; they should try to ensure it has the intended impact.

If Detert and Holder need support, they appear to have the vast majority of Floridians behind them.

In a 2011 survey by Mason-Dixon Polling, 71 percent of likely voters said they would welcome a state law banning texting while driving. A recent Tampa Bay Times poll of Pinellas and Hillsborough county residents found that 89 percent favor a ban.

It's time for the Legislature to recognize what most other states, as well as most Floridians, have already accepted: A ban on texting while driving, with primary enforcement, is an essential means of improving highway safety.

<p>How dangerous is it to drive in Florida? Because of its lack of any limits whatsoever on driving while texting, a lot more dangerous than it should be.</p><p>Sending text messages while driving causes 25 percent of all accidents, according to the National Safety Council. It is six times more dangerous than driving while intoxicated, and 23 times more likely to cause a crash than driving without texting, according to studies cited by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.</p><p>Yet Florida is one of only five states that put no restrictions at all on drivers who text -- not even on novice drivers or school bus operators.</p><p>None of those other states -- Hawaii, Montana, South Carolina or South Dakota -- has anywhere near the population or number of visitors that Florida has.</p><p>And Hawaii hardly counts: While there is no statewide ban, all of its counties have laws governing distracted driving, including cellphone use.</p><p>Florida, on the other hand, forbids local governments from having their own distracted-driving laws.</p><p>But this might be the year that Florida injects some sanity into its wide-open and risk-filled invitation to text behind the wheel. Two Republican legislators from Sarasota County -- Sen. Nancy Detert and Rep. Doug Holder -- are sponsoring bills to ban texting while driving.</p><p>They have failed before with similar bills, when legislative leaders -- who saw any limits as an affront to personal freedom -- prevented passage. Those opponents have left office, improving the new bills' chances.</p><p>Unfortunately, while any restrictions on drivers' texting would be better than none, the bills don't go far enough. Detert's and Holder's proposals would only allow secondary enforcement, meaning that drivers could only be cited for texting if they're charged with some other violation.</p><p>Of the 39 states that ban text messaging for all drivers, all but four have primary enforcement. Primary enforcement would appear to be much more effective at curbing the practice and thus improving safety.</p><p>We urge Detert and Holder to consider strengthening their bills to include primary enforcement. They've waited this long to have a chance of enacting this vital legislation; they should try to ensure it has the intended impact.</p><p>If Detert and Holder need support, they appear to have the vast majority of Floridians behind them.</p><p>In a 2011 survey by Mason-Dixon Polling, 71 percent of likely voters said they would welcome a state law banning texting while driving. A recent Tampa Bay Times poll of Pinellas and Hillsborough county residents found that 89 percent favor a ban.</p><p>It's time for the Legislature to recognize what most other states, as well as most Floridians, have already accepted: A ban on texting while driving, with primary enforcement, is an essential means of improving highway safety.</p>